L’Air Liquide S.A. (OTCMKTS:AIQUY) Short Interest Down 62.4% in May

L’Air Liquide S.A. (OTCMKTS:AIQUY) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 121,500 shares, a decrease of 62.4% from the May 15th total of 323,000 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 412,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On L’Air Liquide

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of L’Air Liquide by 14.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 70,634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,686,000 after acquiring an additional 9,055 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in shares of L’Air Liquide by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 17,545 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $667,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. Corient IA LLC bought a new position in shares of L’Air Liquide in the 1st quarter valued at about $757,000. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of L’Air Liquide during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of L’Air Liquide by 37.8% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the period. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

L’Air Liquide Price Performance

AIQUY opened at $42.54 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $40.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. L’Air Liquide has a twelve month low of $31.68 and a twelve month high of $42.67.

L’Air Liquide Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $0.5257 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a yield of 1.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AIQUY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of L’Air Liquide in a research report on Monday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of L’Air Liquide from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Santander began coverage on shares of L’Air Liquide in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock.

L’Air Liquide Company Profile

L'Air Liquide SA provides gases, technologies, and services for the industrial and health sectors in Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates in Gas & Services, Engineering & Construction, and Global Markets & Technologies segments. The Gas & Services segment comprises large industries business, which offers gas and energy solutions including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, as well as operates cogeneration plants to supply steam and electricity to metals, chemicals, refining, and energy industries; and industrial merchant business line provides industrial gases, equipment, hardgoods, and associated services to materials and energy, automotive and manufacturing, food and pharmaceuticals, technology and research, and craftsmen and retail sectors.